Low carb flew out the window today along with good intentions. I’d clipped a recipe for French bread and with supper being a meagre soup from the freezer the opportunity for experimentation could not be passed by.
So my day was spent chained to the stove. First on the task list: rinse the brisket that’s been aging in the fridge for several days, and then soak it in cold water for 4 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes, and then cook in the instant pot for an hour. More spices and it’s been put to rest in the fridge for another 2 days.
After that peculiar task was started, the egg bites were made (roasted red pepper & cheddar; sundried tomato & feta). Finally, while the bites were cooking, I got busy on the bread. By the time the eggs were out and cooling, I had the bread dough rising in the oven. The ‘proof’ setting is perhaps the most used option on my stove.
The brisket is slowly being transformed into a pastrami - it should be ready on Saturday. And that bread! It was (I say was because we’ve already gorged ourselves on ½ of it!) wonderful. Chewy and moist it was good served naked, but better still dressed in some slabs of cold butter and spoons of raspberry jam - oh yea baby!
I hardly stuck my nose out the door but could hear the warmth of a beautiful day tinkling down the drain spouts. The song of spring.
We’ve had a few nice days in a row, with record breaking warmth, a taste of what is to come. We are taking advantage of the warmth to have some outdoor distanced visits. Yesterday we were at Trudie and Leo’s for a few hours, catching up after a long winter. It was fun to see people in real life, but stressful too. I think I’ve become used to our anti-social life.
Oh!!! The other late afternoon we saw an owl, barred I think, roosting in the tree near the bird feeder. It stayed there for several minutes then flew down to the ground missing its target. It flew to the other side of the pond where it remained for quite a while. So exciting to see an owl.
It's been one year since the pandemic was announced. At the time we had no idea what it would mean which is just as well cause if I’d been told that it would be over a year of restrictions I might have freaked out a little bit! That morning, before the dire messages, we dropped into Costco to pick up my prescriptions. It was a zoo so we took the opportunity to stock up on some essentials. It’s as clear in my mind as it was yesterday.
For a crazy covid momento we refreshed our bedroom with a new quilt.
Over the last week I’ve spent much time surfing the internet and Pinterest for decorating photos. I’ve learned that I am NOT a minimalist… in fact, I might be a closet maximilist. Photos of serene white livingrooms look nice but they don’t bring joy and I know I’d be tucking some colour in before the white had time to get dirty. What brings joy? Bright blue and white. Pattern, lots of pattern. Everything that isn’t in fashion!
Along the same lines I always think to myself that I should only buy black or grey clothes cause Kirsten and Olaf always look good in their vast array of black. But alas, I see some nice blue or pink and it’s in my cart to join the rest of my dorky wardrobe.
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you'll ever know.”
~A.A. Milne
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